Yankees livid: No tag, but you're out anyway

Derek Jeter
and manager
Joe Girardi
were livid. The Yankees captain was called out by umpire
Marty Foster
on an attempted steal of third base in the first inning of yesterday's 7-6 loss to Toronto, even though replays showed he got a hand on the bag before he was tagged by
Scott Rolen.

“I was told by the umpire that I didn't have to be tagged to be out,” an incredulous Jeter said.

Which of course was news to Jeter, who responded: “I was unaware of the rules change.”

Crew chief
John Hirschbeck
lent credence to Jeter's claim.

“It would make his actions seem appropriate if that's what he was told,” Hirschbeck said. Hirschbeck didn't make Foster available to media but said he would discuss the issue with him.

“Getting a play right is one thing, but how you handle it is also important. It used to be if the ball beat you, you were out, but it isn't that way anymore. It's not a reason to call someone out. You have to make a good tag.”

Really? It used to be if the ball beat you, you were out? Gallery finds that answer incongruent with MLB Official Rules. According to Rule 7.08(e), a runner is out when “he fails to reach the next base before a fielder tags him.” Additionally, MLB's Definition of Terms describes a tag as “touching a runner with the ball, or with his hand or glove holding the ball, while holding the ball securely and firmly in his hand or glove.”

TRIVIA TIME

Who was the first Padre to ever make a plate appearance in the major league All-Star Game?

GRUNTING ON LETTERMAN

Williams appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman” last night, two days after beating her sister in the Wimbledon final then teaming with
Venus
to win the doubles title. Williams joked with
David Letterman
about the cacophony some players make, which was the target of media criticism during Wimbledon.

Asked if the noise can be distracting to quieter opponents, Williams said, “I often wonder that.” Williams said she was inspired by
Monica Seles
growing up.

“She's like the first person that I know that really used to grunt really loud and really hard, so that's kind of how I modeled my grunt after,” Williams said. “Yeah, because you have to have role models when it comes to grunting.”

TOO FUNNY

Think they're angry in Pullman over Washington State football players running afoul of the law? You fill in the blanks, in this editorial in Wazzu's student newspaper
(dailyevergreen.com/story/28938
) under the headline: “———————— is an embarrassment to WSU football.”

Explained the editor's note: “Due to the absurdly high number of arrests of football players,
The Summer Evergreen
is publishing this fill-in-the-blanks editorial rather than having to publish a new piece every few months or so.”

HE'S BAD, HE'S BAD

The Canadian Football League has fined Toronto Argonauts receiver
Arland Bruce
for “excessive actions” for his end-zone tribute to
Michael Jackson
— taking off his helmet, shoulder pads and jersey and lying down, pretending to be buried — after scoring on a 21-yard pass play Wednesday night.

“In related news,” wrote
Mike Penner
of the
L.A. Times,
“
Chad Ochocinco
and
Terrell Owens
are sorry the NFL season doesn't start for two more months.”